How old does my hen have to be to hatch her eggs?

[SummerHill202]

My hens been laying for a few months and I've noticed their eggs are fertile. Do I have to wait a certain amount of time before incubating the eggs?

 

[junebuggena]

Depends on the hen. Pullets (females under 1 year of age) rarely go broody. Usually, it's the second season of laying when hens, if prone to doing so, will start brooding. Not every hen will go broody. Some breeds have had it bred out.

 

[Pat Mcaffee]

If you are looking to incubate your eggs, you need to wait for two weeks after she has begun mating before incubating the eggs. If they are already fertile, then go ahead and incubate them. Hens go broody naturally so you will know when she is old enough because she will decide herself.

 

[Miss717]

Do you have an incubator or are you wanting one of your hens to set on and hatch the eggs?

 

[N C Saunders]

Our hens started laying a few weeks ago; the eggs are tiny. Just found a hen sitting them in the back of our golf cart. Probably been two weeks. If they hatch, should we just leave them or try to move them? The golf cart area is about 18 inches from the ground.